Marching Songs of the Free Wales Army

This is one of the odder musical purchases I've made recently. Marching Songs of the Free Wales Army consists of a selection of tunes played by Welsh nationalist Julian Cayo Evans on his accordian. A cosmopolitan and romantic collection it includes Welsh, Irish, Swedish, Polish and Breton favourites. Between tracks Evans talks about the trials (literally) and tribulations of being in the FWA.

My favourite line: "After being found guilty some of us were jailed for love of our country and for standing up for our rights on charges of training our fellow countrymen and possessing firearms... I give you here a selection of polkas."

To be honest I've never been a huge fan of the Free Wales Army - those uniforms just kind of killed it stone dead for me. When it comes to Welsh paramilitary organisations I always preferred the more left leaning MAC. They just seemed a bit more hardcore. But this CD, made from a recording in 1981, is historically interesting and worth getting hold of if you're into musical curiosities.

Expect to hear selections from this being played rather loudly in the coming weeks should Cardiff City win the FA Cup at Wembley on May 17th.